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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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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: vault · pitch · spring · bear · wave · race

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. vault — a safe
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. race — the arms race
  7. spring — the season
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. race — a contest
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — humankind

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