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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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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: kid · stick · saw · band · bass · vault · shower · mate

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a ring
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a friend
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bass — low music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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