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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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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: stick · pound · face · mouse · spring · straw · season · vault

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — of the year
  5. pound — a weight
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — to point toward
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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