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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — a coil
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. band — a ring
  7. cap — a hat
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — all right
  24. vault — a safe

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