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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: root · sharp · vault · saw · club · wound · cap · fall

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. sharp — clever
  10. root — the cause
  11. club — a group
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — for dancing
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for golf
  24. saw — the tool

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