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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: vault · ground · bay · net · safe · row · bowl · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. row — a line
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — in sport
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. net — for catching
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. net — after costs
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bowl — to roll

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