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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bound — certain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bark — to shout
  10. vault — a safe
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — of water
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bound — tied together

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