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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: chip · saw · bulb · vault · mate · roll · row · wake

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a list
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. roll — a cake
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. vault — a safe

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