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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.

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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: tube · row · cell · court · vault · bark · key · mouse

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — of a king
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. row — to paddle
  17. vault — a safe
  18. court — for sport
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. row — a line

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