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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
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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: straw · bark · bulb · cell · leaves · vault · mug · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cell — a phone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cell — in biology
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — for light

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