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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: cold · season · vault · foot · snap · wound · nail · roll

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — a list
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cold — not warm
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. snap — to click
  22. season — of the year
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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