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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · bulb · mark · march · club · season · wound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bulb — for light
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. march — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mark — a grade
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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