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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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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: bark · bat · club · vault · spring · drill · bay · lie

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — the season
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bat — the animal
  15. club — a group
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lie — to recline
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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