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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: fine · wave · vault · mine · pitcher · march · rush · straw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. march — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — high quality
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitcher — a jug

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