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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: root · court · bear · vault · bark · deal · wind · wave

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. deal — an agreement

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