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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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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: club · vault · nail · toast · stem · craft · saw · court

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. court — of law
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. toast — bread
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — of a king
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — a safe

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