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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: chair · field · bank · vault · bore · bass · root · hide

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — the fish
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. root — of a plant
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. bank — of a river
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — low music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. root — the cause
  18. field — a subject
  19. bank — for money
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — to drill
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — gave birth

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