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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: vault · mine · wake · content · snap · last · ground · track

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — a path
  3. last — to go on
  4. vault — a safe
  5. content — the amount
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. last — finally
  10. content — happy
  11. track — to keep track
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. snap — to click
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mine — for digging
  18. track — a song
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ground — crushed

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