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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: chest · hand · firm · spring · season · can · vault · ruler

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — decided
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. can — a tin
  12. firm — a company
  13. season — of the year
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — a box
  23. firm — steady
  24. chest — of your body

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