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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. snap — to click
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. vault — a safe
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bass — low music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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