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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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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: cap · press · bark · vault · fall · mug · hand · chest

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — the season
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chest — a box
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — help
  17. bark — to shout
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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