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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: vault · root · file · board · club · last · tube · fall

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. root — of a plant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — final
  5. club — for golf
  6. board — to get on
  7. last — finally
  8. file — a document
  9. fall — the season
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. board — a committee
  13. root — the cause
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a word
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. club — a group

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