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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 · rest · fork · land · arm · track · season · staff

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — in a road
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. season — in sport
  24. staff — a stick

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