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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: bat · lash · saw · band · degree · vault · bowl · face

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. band — a music group
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — temperature
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. face — to confront
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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