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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: vault · rush · ground · saw · root · rest · staff · pop

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pop — soda
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — a position
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rest — what's left
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — to visit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rest — a break

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