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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: cue · toast · hide · degree · vault · bark · net · stem

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. vault — a safe
  5. toast — bread
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. net — after costs
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cue — a hint
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — of a tree

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