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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: last · wind · cap · rock · vault · mouse · pound · leaves

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. last — final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. last — to go on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — finally
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — the animal

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