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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: stick · vault · stem · bark · lean · ruler · fall · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lean — thin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fall — the season
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stem — of a plant

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