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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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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: bulb · spring · chip · vault · rash · bark · cap · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — a series
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — a coil
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — in sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cap — a hat
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bark — of a tree

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