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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: pop · spring · wake · rash · craft · court · vault · wound

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. pop — to visit
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pop — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spring — of water
  17. craft — boats
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — of law
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — the season

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