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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: charge · vault · wound · wind · firm · bark · hide · pitch

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. charge — in control
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — a price
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. firm — steady
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — completely
  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