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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: vault · ground · tear · sharp · nail · lie · bark · perch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. sharp — clever
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bark — to shout
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — the fish
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — crushed
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tear — to rip

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