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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
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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: mark · game · spring · shower · root · cold · vault · bore

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — a match
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mark — a trace
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mark — a grade
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. shower — to wash

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