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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: tube · swing · face · spring · cell · chip · vault · ground

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chip — to eat
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — a position
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. swing — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tube — a container
  17. spring — a coil
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spring — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chip — for betting
  22. face — to point toward
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cell — in biology

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