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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: bark · season · vault · kick · straw · row · prune · pit

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. season — of the year
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — in a race
  17. vault — a safe
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — to shout
  24. season — to add flavour

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