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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: bark · capital · wake · vault · snap · arm · ball · saw

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ball — a dance
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — the tool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ball — a great time
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — to shout
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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