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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: bear · field · drill · vault · object · cabinet · rash · stick

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — army training
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bear — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. field — farmland
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rash — a series
  21. object — an aim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — the tool

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