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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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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: fork · court · mouse · vault · band · pound · stem · capital

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fork — in a road
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. band — a music group
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. capital — a city
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. court — for sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. court — of law

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