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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 · present · wind · staff · bass · straw

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. present — there

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