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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: bark · stand · vault · land · capital · arm · wake · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — to come down
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bark — to shout
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — to bear
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. land — a country
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. arm — part of the body

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