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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 116 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
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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: bark · wake · land · vault · can · net · pit · mine

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mine — for digging
  4. land — a country
  5. net — for catching
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — after costs
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pit — a hole

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