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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: vault · firm · bark · field · wind · content · sharp · lash

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. sharp — clever
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. content — happy
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. firm — a company
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. firm — decided
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. firm — steady

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