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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: spell · cap · spring · swing · club · vault · rock · calf

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rock — music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. vault — a safe
  9. club — for golf
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spell — magic
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. club — for dancing
  20. spell — letters
  21. cap — a hat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — the season

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