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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. drill — army training
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spring — a coil
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spring — the season
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — a practice
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cell — in biology
  17. vault — a safe
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cell — a phone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — a division
  24. suit — to fit

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