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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: staff · vault · net · cabinet · face · content · saw · lean

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — after costs
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — happy
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. content — the amount
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. face — to confront
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lean — thin

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