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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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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: staff · racket · vault · game · spring · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — of water
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spring — the season
  12. pound — a weight
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — for dogs

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