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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: vault · present · charge · season · drill · bat · wind · bark

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — in sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. bat — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — in control
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — there
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wind — moving air
  23. present — a gift
  24. charge — electricity

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