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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: rest · chip · last · fork · vault · wax · straw · bark

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — to go on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — finally

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