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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 120 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: rock · staff · sharp · vault · chest · wave · spring · club

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. club — a group
  3. spring — the season
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — music
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — of water
  10. rock — a stone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. staff — employees
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chest — a box

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