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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: vault · mug · mine · chest · roll · bowl · track · tear

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. track — a song
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — a path
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a list
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mug — to rob
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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