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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: pop · straw · band · field · vault · bore · mine · bay

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — farmland
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — to visit
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — a straw man

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