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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 · fork · craft · vault · roll · mate · stand · march

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mate — a partner
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. vault — a safe
  6. roll — a list
  7. mate — a friend
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fork — in a road
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stand — to bear
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — a coil
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spring — the season
  24. fork — a garden tool

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