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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: vault · bulb · spell · kick · staff · rash

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — magic
  15. kick — in football
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — a short time
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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