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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: press · vault · spell · capital · bark · toast · fall · temple

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. capital — a city
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. vault — a safe
  8. capital — money
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — the season
  14. spell — a short time
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — to push
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spell — magic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — letters
  24. toast — bread

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