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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: vault · cabinet · bark · cue · bat · spring

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spring — a coil
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spring — the season

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