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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 120 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: hand · saw · safe · club · pound · spring · vault · squash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spring — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — for golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — of water
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — a coil
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. pound — a weight
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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