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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 · pound · rash · cell · bass · track · bore · spring

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spring — a coil
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spring — of water
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spring — the season
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bass — low music
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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