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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: saw · wound · season · kid · rash · perch · fall · vault

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fall — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — of the year
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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