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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: mark · arm · bulb · spring · chest · leaves · wound · vault

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chest — of your body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mark — a trace
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chest — a box

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