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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: pound · sharp · field · wake · spring · kick · cap · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — a subject
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wake — a trail
  17. field — farmland
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — a weight
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — a safe

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