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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.

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: rash · wake · wound · vault · file · net · bear · march

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — for catching
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — after costs

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