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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · field · mug · drill · spring · object · vault · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. spring — the season
  3. cold — an illness
  4. object — to protest
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. field — a subject
  7. drill — army training
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. key — in music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. object — an aim
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spring — of water
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — for sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. drill — the tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — a thing
  24. field — farmland

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