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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · bowl · saw · bat · bark · coach · scale · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. scale — size or range
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. scale — in music
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — a series

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