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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · spring · capital · hand · last · bear · wave · nail

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — to go on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hand — help
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — a coil
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. capital — money

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