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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 116 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: vault · wave · bark · spring · tear · cold · mug · stick

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — to shout
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mug — a cup
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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