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

Word bank: vault · face · wind · temple · leaves · ground · roll · wake

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — to point toward
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. roll — a list
  8. wake — a trail
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — a position
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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