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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. can — to be able to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. lean — thin
  13. stock — goods
  14. pop — soda
  15. bark — to shout
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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