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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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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: hide · fall · leaves · stick · vault · cell

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — the season
  8. cell — in biology
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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