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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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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: vault · bark · swing · rash · last · object · pound · staff

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — a series
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. object — to protest
  8. swing — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. staff — employees
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — to play on
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pound — a weight
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. rash — on the skin

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