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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: club · wake · tear · vault · root · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — a safe
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — a group
  9. root — of a word
  10. club — for dancing
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for golf

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