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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: net · craft · object · wind · date · vault · press · wound

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. date — the fruit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — boats
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — after costs
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — to protest
  14. press — a publisher
  15. net — for catching
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. object — an aim
  22. press — to push
  23. net — in sport
  24. press — newspapers

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