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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: pop · vault · chip · saw · wound · wake · capital · rush

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pop — soda
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wound — an injury

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