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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: pass · wound · vault · bark · craft · mouse · season · clip

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — a permit
  5. craft — boats
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — a video
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — of the year
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. craft — a skill
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. clip — for paper

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