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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: deal · bear · fork · pound · vault · row

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. vault — a safe
  3. row — to paddle
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bear — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — a line
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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