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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: rest · bowl · vault · sharp · club · wake · band · net

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. band — a ring
  7. vault — a safe
  8. club — for golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — for catching
  13. wake — a trail
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rest — a break
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. club — for dancing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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