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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: vault · bark · wake · mine · rule · fall · club · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rule — government
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rule — a law
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. club — for golf
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. club — a group
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. wake — before a funeral

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