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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · bear · vault · wound · rest · pitcher · rash · mine

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rest — a break
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — happy
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — the amount
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — hasty

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