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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: toast · cue · leaves · bark · ball · vault · root · spring

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spring — the season
  5. cue — a hint
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. ball — a great time
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. vault — a safe
  20. root — of a word
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bark — of a tree

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