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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 124 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: bark · rush · club · pass · land · vault · fork · tear

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. tear — to rip
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. club — for golf
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — a country
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — a safe

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