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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · vault · shower · snap · content · saw

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. spell — a short time
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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