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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: club · spring · plane · game · swing · vault · hand · cap

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cap — a lid
  6. club — a group
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — a hat
  9. plane — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. vault — a safe
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for golf
  24. swing — music

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