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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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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: bowl · straw · land · toast · vault · calf · saw · bank

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. land — a country
  4. toast — bread
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. land — to come down
  10. bank — for money
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. land — ground
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. calf — of the leg

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