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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 116 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: sharp · ball · bark · fan · wake · land · band · vault

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. land — a country
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a dance
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a music group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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