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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: band · charge · vault · bay · lie · field · root · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lie — to recline
  6. charge — a price
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. root — the cause
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. root — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — of a word
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a ring

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