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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: fall · drill · date · cell · vault · wake

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. drill — army training
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fall — to drop
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — a trail
  18. date — the fruit

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