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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: hide · jam · straw · spring · scale · vault · season · pop

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. scale — in music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — a coil
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spring — of water

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