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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: vault · band · fork · lash · capital · present

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. present — the time now
  4. band — a ring
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. present — there
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fork — in a road
  13. capital — a city
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. capital — money
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. band — a music group

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