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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: spring · scale · vault · lash · object · mate · content · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — happy
  3. mate — a partner
  4. content — the amount
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spring — the season
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — a coil
  11. scale — in music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spring — of water
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — a friend
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. scale — size or range
  22. object — a thing
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. content — videos and posts

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