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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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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: ground · bulb · track · vault · racket · key

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — to keep track
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — a safe
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. track — a path

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