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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: spring · deal · cap · lash · press · vault · hide · kid

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spring — of water
  4. vault — a safe
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spring — the season
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — a coil
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — to push
  13. deal — to handle
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — a hat
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. hide — animal skin

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