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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: bark · straw · stick · tear · vault · capital

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. 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. tear — from crying
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. capital — a city
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tear — to rip
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. 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