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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 · wind · arm · pound · bowl · date

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — a safe
  18. arm — part of the body

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