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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: cold · land · firm · mouse · stick · spring · bank · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — of water
  5. bank — of a river
  6. vault — a safe
  7. firm — decided
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bank — for money
  19. firm — a company
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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