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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: squash · mouse · vault · bark · temple · bear · content · kid

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — the amount
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — happy
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. vault — a safe
  24. squash — to crush

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