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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: vault · dip · chest · stick · craft · ball · spring · band

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ball — a great time
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ball — a dance
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chest — a box
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. dip — to sink
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. band — a ring
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a music group
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — of water
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. chest — of your body

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