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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 120 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: arm · tear · field · vault · mark · content · wake · saw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. content — happy
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. vault — a safe
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — farmland
  18. content — the amount
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — a grade

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