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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: bass · bark · bulb · chest · kid · vault · rash · fork

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bark — to shout
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kid — child
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — the instrument

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