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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 116 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: bark · pitcher · row · bear · spring · can · staff · vault

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. staff — a stick
  3. can — a tin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — to be able to
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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