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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: root · rash · last · bank · vault · mark · clip · roll

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — of a word
  4. last — final
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — to go on
  9. vault — a safe
  10. roll — a list
  11. bank — of a river
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — finally

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