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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 · field · cell · lash · rock · toast

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rock — a stone
  4. field — a subject
  5. cell — in biology
  6. toast — bread
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in a prison

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