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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: net · foot · capital · saw · mark · tube · spring · vault

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. capital — money
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spring — of water
  21. net — in sport
  22. capital — a city
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tube — in a tire

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