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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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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: wave · vault · kid · ball · ground · bark · staff · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ground — crushed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — employees
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a line
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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