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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: roll · rule · band · vault · cell · spell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a music group
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cell — in biology
  13. roll — a list
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. spell — magic
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spell — a short time

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