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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: kid · cold · vault · mouse · can · chip · leaves · spring

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — not warm
  5. can — a tin
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. can — a tin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kid — child

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