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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 116 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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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: kid · bulb · vault · spring · root · content · chip · cold

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. kid — to tease
  6. content — the amount
  7. cold — not warm
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. content — happy
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chip — for betting

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