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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: spring · last · bulb · vault · patient · coach · pitch · bat

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bat — the animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spring — the season
  18. last — final
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — a coil
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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