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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: season · safe · band · bark · squash · rest · mark · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. 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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rest — what's left
  3. squash — the sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a ring
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mark — a grade
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. season — of the year
  23. mark — a trace
  24. 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