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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 · mark · game · hand · staff · vault · leaves · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — a grade
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — in cards
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spring — of water
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — wild animals

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