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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: hand · ground · vault · shower · craft · straw · arm · squash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. vault — a safe
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hand — in cards
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ground — a position

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