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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: ground · last · saw · vault · present · bark · staff · roll

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — a cake
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ground — a position
  15. last — final
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. staff — a stick

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