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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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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: club · wound · mug · bay · fork · rest · mine · vault

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — a safe
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — in a road
  9. club — a group
  10. mug — a face
  11. rest — a break
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rest — what's left
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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