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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 · row · bowl · straw · land · mate · bass · shower

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. shower — rain
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. row — to paddle
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mate — a friend
  12. row — a line
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mate — to breed

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