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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: wake · squash · season · dip · vault · mate · pit · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. vault — a safe
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — of the year
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pit — in a race
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wake — a trail
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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