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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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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: charge · bark · field · vault · shower · last · land · deal

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. land — to come down
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — ground
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — rain
  15. charge — electricity
  16. last — final
  17. charge — a price
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. charge — in control
  23. land — a country
  24. deal — to handle

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