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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: vault · hand · lie · face · cell · staff · straw · bulb

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — help
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cell — a phone
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to confront
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in biology
  24. staff — a stick

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