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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 120 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: key · drill · vault · season · spring · rule · wave · snap

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rule — a law
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. vault — a safe
  14. season — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rule — government
  24. season — of the year

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