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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: coach · ruler · vault · track · mine · wind · rash · face

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. face — part of the head
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a path
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — a song
  24. mine — an explosive

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