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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: wound · bay · bulb · pitch · vault · key · last · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. key — for a lock
  7. last — to go on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bulb — for light
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitch — completely
  12. last — finally
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. key — in music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — final
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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