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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. key — in music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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