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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 · vault · cell · safe · season · deal · roll · field

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. roll — a cake
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — of the year
  10. cell — a phone
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. root — of a word
  14. deal — to handle
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — for sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. field — farmland
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — a subject
  22. roll — a list
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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