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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 116 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: mine · snap · can · cell · vault · wind · rush · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. net — after costs
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rush — hurry
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. snap — to click
  19. vault — a safe
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — a phone
  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