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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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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 · stick · field · cold · pound · bulb · firm · bay

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. firm — a company
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. field — for sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. bulb — for light
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. firm — steady
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pound — a weight
  20. firm — decided
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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