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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: march · rash · vault · bulb · pop · board · staff · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — a stick
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — a series
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — to get on
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — to rip
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — from crying
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. march — the month

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