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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 120 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: wound · fork · row · charge · cell · saw · squash · vault

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fork — in a road
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — in biology
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. vault — a safe
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cell — a phone

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