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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: band · content · ball · root · firm · hand · vault · kid

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kid — child
  4. root — the cause
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a ring
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. firm — a company
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — steady
  15. kid — to tease
  16. band — a music group
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. hand — help
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. firm — decided

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