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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: hide · snap · spring · vault · bark · key · staff · lie

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to click
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — the most important part
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spring — the season
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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