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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: wake · cap · date · mine · vault · leaves · pass · racket

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mine — for digging
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pass — a permit
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mine — an explosive

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