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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · vault · straw · rush · spring · squash · mark · cell

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. land — to come down
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mark — a grade
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. land — a country
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — of water
  16. land — ground
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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