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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: swing · mine · staff · wound · snap · stick · vault · pop

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — music
  5. swing — music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pop — soda
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. staff — employees
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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