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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: dip · spring · season · vault · bore · leaves · rush · last

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — to go on
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — to tire
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — final
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. dip — to dunk

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