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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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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: bay · vault · field · fork · mine · rush · lie · toast

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. vault — a safe
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — farmland
  15. toast — bread
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. field — for sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lie — an untruth

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