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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · foot · net · tube · vault · bark · clip · lash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. foot — a measure
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. tube — a container
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — a video

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