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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. content — happy
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lean — thin
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — the amount
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. content — videos and posts

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