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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: bear · current · ground · wake · hide · spring · mine · vault

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — of water
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bear — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. current — happening now
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. current — electric
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. ground — a position

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