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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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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: kid · safe · bark · rest · vault · arm · cue · spring

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — the season
  22. cue — a hint
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spring — of water

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