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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 120 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: band · saw · cell · rash · vault · game

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rash — a series
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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