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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: present · hand · stand · vault · lie · saw · cold · bark

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — there
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hand — help
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. present — the time now
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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