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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.

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: spring · bay · clip · wound · suit · track · vault · bark

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — clothes
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — of water
  12. suit — in cards
  13. clip — for paper
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. clip — a video
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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