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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: track · mine · rush · mark · stem · vault · pitcher · date

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mark — a trace
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. track — a path
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — belonging to me

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