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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: content · vault · perch · hide · mine · wound · cap · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. vault — a safe
  3. content — happy
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — for digging
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — the amount
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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