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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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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: band · bark · racket · vault · file · plane · ground · perch

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — the earth
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bark — to shout
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. vault — a safe
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a music group
  24. perch — for a bird

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