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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: stem · chip · capital · deal · band · rash · bark · vault

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bark — to shout
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. capital — money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. capital — a city
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — to come from
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — for betting

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