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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: cold · straw · bowl · vault · net · bark · leaves · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cold — not warm
  6. net — in sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cold — an illness
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. net — for catching
  19. vault — a safe
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — of a tree

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