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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: spell · ground · spring · fan · bowl · wake · cue · vault

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spring — the season
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — a position
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — a coil

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