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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: ground · firm · roll · lash · bore · cell · spring · vault

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. firm — a company
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — a phone
  9. roll — a list
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — the season
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — a position
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ground — crushed

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