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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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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: mouse · hand · vault · field · spring · craft

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. 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 — a coil
  2. field — a subject
  3. spring — the season
  4. field — for sport
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — of water
  18. 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