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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: rock · vault · tear · bark · capital · coach · staff · row

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — to shout
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tear — to rip
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — a stone
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. capital — money
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — a safe
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — music

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