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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kid — child
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a great time
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to click
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. vault — a safe
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ball — a dance

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