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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. row — a line
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — for golf
  10. fall — to drop
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — the fish
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bass — low music
  18. club — a group
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fork — a garden 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