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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 120 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: chest · net · perch · leaves · vault · staff · present · land

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. present — there
  3. net — for catching
  4. vault — a safe
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. chest — a box
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. present — the time now
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

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