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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: date · can · mouse · spring · club · rock · race · vault

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — of water
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. rock — a stone
  6. race — a contest
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. club — a group
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spring — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rock — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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