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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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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 · nail · spell · vault · mark · bound · march · deal

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — a grade
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — the month
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. march — music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. nail — for a hammer

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