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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: fork · chest · pound · club · vault · bulb

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chest — a box
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fork — in a road
  13. vault — a safe
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — of a plant

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