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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · march · cabinet · spring · fork · fine · vault · tear

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — all right
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. ground — the earth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — music
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spring — the season
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — crushed
  24. vault — a safe

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