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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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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: snap · land · fall · press · spell · vault · mine · fork

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — a publisher
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. press — newspapers
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. snap — to click
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — a country

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