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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: rush · vault · bark · ruler · staff · toast · foot · last

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — final
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. staff — employees
  8. toast — bread
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. foot — a measure
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — a thrill

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