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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 120 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: bat · vault · cabinet · row · bark · nail · foot · lash

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. row — a line
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. row — a quarrel

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