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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · firm · vault · hand · chip · bark · bat · tube

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — help
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. firm — steady
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. face — to point toward
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tube — the underground

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