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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · scale · craft · drill · root · staff · court

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — of law
  5. drill — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. press — a publisher
  8. craft — boats
  9. press — to push
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. staff — a stick
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — a practice
  15. craft — a skill
  16. root — the cause
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. court — for sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — newspapers

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