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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 120 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: rash · vault · chest · straw · ruler · wave · row · staff

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. staff — employees
  6. chest — a box
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. staff — a stick
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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