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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: spring · coach · cap · drill · net · fine · vault · jam

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cap — a hat
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — the tool
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. vault — a safe
  12. drill — a practice
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. drill — army training
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cap — of ice
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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