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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
468
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: shower · spring · land · racket · charge · lie · content · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. shower — to wash
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. charge — a price
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. charge — in control
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — to recline
  18. charge — electricity
  19. shower — rain
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — to come down
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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