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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: press · perch · nail · vault · last · mine · wake · chest

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mine — for digging
  6. press — to push
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. last — final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — on a finger

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