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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: bark · present · capital · vault · hide · fan · safe · bowl

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. present — there
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. present — the time now

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