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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
468
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: ground · spring · cell · hand · straw · charge · calf · vault

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. charge — electricity
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — in cards
  16. charge — a price
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — a coil
  21. vault — a safe
  22. charge — in control
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ground — a position

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