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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · bark · lean · fine · content · vault

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lean — to bend
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — happy
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lean — thin
  14. key — in music
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. content — the amount
  18. bark — to shout

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