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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 116 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: wind · vault · swing · stem · bark · kick · rock · content

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — in golf
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. content — happy
  10. rock — a stone
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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