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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 116 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: row · staff · field · vault · cap · pound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — to paddle
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pound — a weight
  14. field — farmland
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cap — a hat
  17. row — a line
  18. staff — employees

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