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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: face · stock · bark · lean · board · vault · spell · drill

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — to shout
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stock — goods
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to confront
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. face — to point toward

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