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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 · arm · leaves · bass · craft · rush · pitcher · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. vault — a safe
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bass — the fish
  8. craft — boats
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — low music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — of a tree

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