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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: vault · calf · content · pop · bark · wound · straw · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — a coil
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — happy
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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