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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 · bark · bowl · cabinet · dip · vault · scale · fan

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — the season
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. dip — to sink
  16. scale — in music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bowl — to roll

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