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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — finally
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. last — final
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — from crying

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