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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: staff · bear · rock · capital · vault · wind

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — a stick
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. vault — a safe

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