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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: vault · fall · spring · root · chair · foot · mark · nail

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spring — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chair — a leader
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — the cause
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spring — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fall — the season
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — of a plant
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a grade

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