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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — a line
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chip — in a computer

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