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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: fork · vault · craft · chair · band · calf

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a music group
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. craft — boats
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fork — in a road
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chair — a leader
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chair — to sit on

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