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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: vault · bark · perch · tube · saw · mate · tear · capital

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tube — the underground
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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