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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: vault · kid · rock · squash · wake · stand · mine · coach

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. kid — child
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stand — to bear
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rock — music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stand — on your feet
  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