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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: mouse · vault · bulb · wound · land · pit · chip · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  24. pit — a hole

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