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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: band · chair · stick · saw · hand · vault · rock · nail

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a music group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. vault — a safe
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a ring
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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