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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: spell · straw · chest · vault · deal · date · branch · rash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. spell — a short time
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rash — a series
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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