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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: cell · lash · field · hide · club · wind · vault · kick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. kick — in football
  5. vault — a safe
  6. field — a subject
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. field — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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