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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 120 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: fork · shower · vault · deal · tube · rash · bark · capital

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — rain
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — a city
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — hasty
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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