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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · degree · bark · bulb · fan · club · vault · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. club — a group
  10. track — a path
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — a supporter

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