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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. present — a gift
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. present — there
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — low music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — of a king

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