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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fall — to drop
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. field — a subject
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — letters
  13. net — after costs
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. wave — of the sea

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