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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: row · coach · march · wound · vault · safe · staff · rest

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. row — to paddle
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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