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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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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: vault · bark · cue · spring · bulb · wave · cap · wind

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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