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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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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 · tear · board · club · straw · fan · safe · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — a safe
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. board — to get on
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bark — to shout
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. club — a group
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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