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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. net — for catching
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a ring
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — a trail

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