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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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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 · tear · bore · kid · branch · key · capital · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spring — of water
  3. key — in music
  4. branch — a division
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kid — child
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. capital — money
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — from crying
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to drill
  24. tear — from crying

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