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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 120 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 · sharp · chest · vault · fork · race · arm · lean

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. lean — thin
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. race — the arms race
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chest — a box
  14. bark — to shout
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — a safe
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — to eat with

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