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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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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: net · vault · court · wind · toast · spring · pound · stem

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — in sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of law
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. court — of a king
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. toast — bread
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — the season

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