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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. vault — a safe
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ground — a position
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — crushed

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