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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: hide · bark · kid · straw · ball · root · vault · present

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kid — child
  3. present — a gift
  4. root — of a word
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — a safe
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. root — the cause
  22. present — the time now
  23. ball — a dance
  24. present — there

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