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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: vault · mate · bark · kick · spring · saw · last · bowl

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — to breed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — final
  24. kick — a thrill

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