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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: ground · season · bark · game · land · plane · vault · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — crushed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. land — a country

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