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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: vault · rash · fall · arm · mate · present · band · field

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — the time now
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — to breed
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fall — the season
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — for sport
  19. mate — a partner
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — farmland
  22. present — there
  23. mate — a friend
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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