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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: vault · row · date · perch · jam · cell · file · bark

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cell — in biology
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bark — to shout
  9. row — to paddle
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. row — a line
  17. perch — the fish
  18. file — a document
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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