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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: bark · wound · vault · staff · bowl · stem · rock · scale

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bark — to shout
  19. staff — employees
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. staff — a stick

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