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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: can · cold · snap · vault · cabinet · lean · spell · bark

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. vault — a safe
  6. snap — to click
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — magic
  23. can — a tin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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