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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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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — finally
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — final

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