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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: field · spring · tube · vault · wound · rule · squash · root

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. root — the cause
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. field — for sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. field — a subject
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. root — of a plant
  20. vault — a safe
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — a container
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wound — an injury

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