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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. content — the amount
  6. march — music
  7. bark — to shout
  8. vault — a safe
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — a break
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. content — happy
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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