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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: wind · vault · bank · spring · rash · foot · lie · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — a series
  6. season — of the year
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — to recline
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bank — for money
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — the bottom

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