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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: vault · stick · board · chest · wound · march · saw · bulb

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — of your body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — a committee
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. march — the month
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. board — to get on

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