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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: nail · pop · mine · stand · wake · bat · dip · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pop — music
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pop — soda
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — for a hammer

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