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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: bank · fork · vault · root · lash · staff · degree · chair

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. root — the cause
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. staff — employees

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