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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 120 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
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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: pitch · wound · temple · stem · last · mine · vault · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. last — finally
  11. mine — for digging
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — to go on
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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