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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: racket · mine · foot · wind · spring · vault · can · craft

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — a tin
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spring — of water
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — a skill
  13. can — a tin
  14. craft — boats
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — the season
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. foot — a measure
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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