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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: vault · dip · mine · firm · march · pitcher · wound · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — a company
  9. vault — a safe
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a music group
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. band — a ring
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. firm — decided

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