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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: coach · lash · can · lie · march · spring · vault · rash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. march — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — the season
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — to recline
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the skin

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