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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.

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: hand · hide · vault · pitcher · spring · squash · file · rest

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — of water
  12. rest — a break
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rest — what's left
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spring — a coil

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