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

Word bank: rule · tear · vault · hand · last · bark

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. last — to go on
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rule — government
  8. hand — help
  9. last — final
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rule — a law
  13. bark — to shout
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — finally
  18. tear — from crying

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