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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: rash · vault · ball · scale · roll · staff · spring · tear

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. tear — to rip
  4. roll — a list
  5. rash — hasty
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a great time
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — a coil
  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