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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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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 · bear · stick · root · bound · row · hide · chair

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — certain
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — of a plant

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