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

Word bank: snap · tear · last · rash · vault · wave · bat · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. last — final
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — hasty
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. last — to go on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rash — a series
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to click

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