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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · vault · shower · land · staff · march · saw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — a country
  8. march — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — of a plant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — ground
  19. root — of a word
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mine — for digging
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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