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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fine — all right
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. kid — child
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com