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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.

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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: pitcher · vault · staff · mine · tear · present · bore · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — for digging
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — there
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — finally
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — a gift
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. staff — employees
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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