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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 120 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: drill · leaves · cue · mate · bound · club · spring · vault

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. spring — the season
  4. club — for golf
  5. bound — tied together
  6. drill — army training
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — of water
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — a coil
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cue — a hint
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the 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