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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: lash · vault · last · bark · staff · squash · bear · saw

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. staff — employees
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — to shout
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. last — to go on
  19. vault — a safe
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. last — final

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