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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: saw · pitcher · band · vault · root · toast · bat · content

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. content — happy
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — the cause
  13. toast — bread
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — of a plant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a music group
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bat — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. band — a ring

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