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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: vault · stick · fork · wake · land · press · mug · racket

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — a publisher
  6. land — a country
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — in a road
  12. land — ground
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. land — to come down
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — a trail

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