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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.

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: bark · current · vault · date · row · land · cap · mine

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — happening now
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — to come down
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. land — ground
  13. cap — a hat
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — a lid
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. land — a country

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