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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: mate · vault · spring · mug · net · land · mouse · scale

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mug — a cup
  8. scale — size or range
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — the season
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mug — a face
  21. mate — to breed
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — a coil

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