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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: vault · calf · bark · bass · rule · coach · capital · content

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. content — the amount
  7. rule — government
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — the fish
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — money
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. vault — a safe
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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