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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: shower · vault · game · ball · plane · bear · spring · nail

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — a match
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bear — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spring — the season
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. shower — to wash
  24. game — wild animals

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