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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 116 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: deal · ground · bark · craft · vault · mug · spell · last

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. last — final
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. last — finally
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mug — a cup
  7. vault — a safe
  8. craft — a skill
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spell — magic
  17. mug — a face
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — to go on
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bark — to shout
  24. craft — boats

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