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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: hand · bay · rush · temple · tube · ground · vault · land

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. land — ground
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — a position
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. land — to come down
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — a country
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — the underground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — a container
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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