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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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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 · chip · deal · bark · field · content · wave · root

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. content — happy
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. root — of a word
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. content — the amount
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chip — for betting
  14. field — farmland
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. field — for sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chip — to eat

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