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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: bowl · swing · chest · band · vault · lie · mate · bark

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mate — a partner
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. band — a ring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — a safe
  24. band — a music group

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