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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · spring · kid · ball · fine · bulb · leaves · vault

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ball — a dance
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — a coil
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — of water
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spring — the season

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