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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.

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: club · mine · bulb · mug · bass · vault · face · wound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. face — part of the head
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — low music
  10. club — for golf
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — to point toward
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to confront

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