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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.

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: field · squash · land · press · rock · last · bark · vault

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. field — farmland
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — to push
  9. last — to go on
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bark — to shout
  12. vault — a safe
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — finally
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rock — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — final
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — a stone
  24. press — newspapers

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