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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 120 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: rock · mouse · wound · cap · vault · band · nail · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a music group
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. vault — a safe

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