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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · file · land · vault · capital · spell · leaves · perch

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spell — magic
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. capital — a city
  14. row — a line
  15. land — to come down
  16. row — to paddle
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spell — letters
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — a safe

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