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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 120 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: drill · capital · net · fork · vault · arm · pitcher · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. net — after costs
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — for catching
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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