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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: vault · rock · fall · rule · band · rest · bark · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. band — a music group
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. band — a ring
  22. fall — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bark — of a tree

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