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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: dip · vault · shower · pop · ground · cabinet · kid · fork

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pop — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. dip — to sink
  18. shower — rain
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kid — child
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — to visit

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