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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: squash · row · vault · pound · stand · mouse · mine · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. squash — to crush
  13. row — a line
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — an injury

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