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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 · bulb · bound · hide · vault · field · fan · sharp

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — certain
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — farmland

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