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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 120 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 · saw · kick · vault · bear · cell · cabinet · pop

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — in football
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pop — soda
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cell — in biology

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