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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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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: arm · clip · toast · dip · firm · vault · snap · bark

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. toast — bread
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. firm — steady
  8. dip — to sink
  9. vault — a safe
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. bark — to shout
  16. firm — decided
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. firm — a company

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