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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rock — music
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — a match
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chest — a box
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bank — for money
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chest — of your body
  23. drill — army training
  24. chest — of your body

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