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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: vault · ground · game · scale · roll · pop · bank · spring

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — for money
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. scale — size or range
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. game — wild animals
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — the season
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — in music
  23. pop — soda
  24. game — a kind of play

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