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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 116 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: stock · rush · rule · mug · wound · mine · clip · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — goods
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — government
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mug — a face

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