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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: craft · club · last · season · fall · mouse · vault · spring

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — in sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. last — finally
  8. spring — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — for golf
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — to go on
  19. club — a group
  20. fall — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — boats
  23. last — final
  24. fall — to drop

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