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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 · craft · field · leaves · wind · game · key · bear

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. craft — a skill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a match
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — for 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