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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 116 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: bat · spring · chair · last · safe · vault · pound · band

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — a leader
  6. last — to go on
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. band — a ring
  9. spring — of water
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a music group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. last — finally
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spring — a coil
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — to hit hard

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