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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 120 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: deal · straw · mine · vault · hide · ground · swing · bark

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — a position
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bark — to shout

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