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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: tube · wake · wind · bay · mouse · wound · vault · board

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a committee
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — a container
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. board — to get on
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tube — in a tire

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