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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: cabinet · branch · hide · vault · sharp · pitcher · bark · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — clever
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. branch — a division
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — with an edge

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