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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 · vault · rush · rash · straw · bark · root · net

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. net — in sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — for catching
  22. root — of a word
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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