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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: bat · bark · drill · hand · stem · vault · band · safe

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. 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. bat — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — a practice
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stem — to come from
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. vault — a safe
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. 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