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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 · vault · rush · last · tear · safe · fork · staff

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — to rip

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