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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 · march · bear · spring · squash · kick · swing · fork

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — of water
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — a safe
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. squash — the sport

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