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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · field · spring · vault · saw · firm · nail · key

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — steady
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — a company
  7. field — for sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. vault — a safe
  15. key — the most important part
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — in music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — the season
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — the tool

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