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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: cabinet · vault · pit · ground · plane · bark · content · can

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ground — the earth
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — happy
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — crushed
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — the amount
  22. bark — to shout
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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