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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 116 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: vault · chip · row · stick · coach · bowl · spring · shower

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — rain
  5. vault — a safe
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — the season
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — to wash
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. row — a quarrel

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