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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: vault · date · fork · staff · lash · game · safe · field

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — wild animals
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. date — the fruit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — a stick
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. field — for sport
  20. fork — in a road
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. date — on the calendar
  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