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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: bark · cell · mine · land · foot · key · vault · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. land — ground
  3. foot — a measure
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. key — in music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. key — the most important part
  15. land — a country
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — a safe
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — a phone
  24. foot — part of the body

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