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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 116 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: straw · craft · vault · band · court · bark · march · fall

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. court — of law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. craft — boats
  16. band — a ring
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bark — to shout
  22. craft — a skill
  23. band — a music group
  24. court — for sport

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