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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: staff · bark · vault · game · kick · last · branch · wake

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wake — a trail
  3. game — a match
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — final
  15. branch — a division
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. staff — employees
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. game — wild animals

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