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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: date · vault · chest · pound · cabinet · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chest — a box
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cabinet — ministers

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