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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: vault · march · bark · ruler · press · club · mate · scale

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — to shout
  4. march — music
  5. press — to push
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mate — to breed
  12. club — for golf
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. press — a publisher

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