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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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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: vault · march · wave · hide · last · tear

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. last — to go on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — final
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. last — finally
  15. march — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. march — the month

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