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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: squash · straw · root · rash · row · vault · perch · band

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. band — a music group
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — the sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — a safe
  13. root — the cause
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. row — to paddle
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. squash — to crush
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. row — a quarrel

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