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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 116 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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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: swing · hand · lie · fall · rest · spring · vault · cell

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — a coil
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. swing — in golf
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. swing — music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — a phone

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