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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: vault · land · coach · rock · wind · nail · mine · bark

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — to shout
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bark — of a tree

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