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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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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: wake · bowl · vault · band · key · present · root · field

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a ring
  3. root — the cause
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. present — a gift
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — the time now
  12. root — of a plant
  13. key — in music
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a music group
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — for sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — there
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wake — before a funeral

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