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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 · roll · can · hand · dip · craft · wound · arm

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. can — to be able to
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — help
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. craft — boats
  8. can — a tin
  9. roll — a list
  10. hand — in cards
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — a safe
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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