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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: mine · rush · bore · mate · vault · capital · wake · fall

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to drill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a city
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rush — hurry
  14. capital — money
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mate — to breed
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fall — the season
  24. wake — before a funeral

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