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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 · content · rush · craft · mark · wake · wind · mine

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — a skill
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. content — the amount
  12. craft — boats
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rush — hurry
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wind — moving air

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