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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · object · saw · wound · coach · game · tear · vault

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — to rip
  4. object — an aim
  5. vault — a safe
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — ground
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  24. wound — an injury

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