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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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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: key · wind · mine · vault · trunk · saw · lean · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — thin
  19. key — in music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. net — for catching

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