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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 · pitcher · bound · press · row · racket · wake · land

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. press — a publisher
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. press — to push
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — a line
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — a safe
  24. racket — for tennis

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