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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 116 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: object · vault · mark · band · hand · bark · chair · capital

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — an aim
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. object — to protest
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a ring
  19. object — a thing
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mark — to pay attention

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