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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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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: march · arm · vault · stick · chest · bark · chip · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — to play on
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chip — to eat
  23. march — music
  24. chest — of your body

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