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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 116 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: net · cell · mate · rest · vault · bark

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mate — a friend
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — what's left

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