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

Word bank: bear · wound · march · cell · racket · vault

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bear — the animal

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