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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 124 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wake — a trail
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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