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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: kid · wave · firm · face · dip · chest · vault · wind

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — decided
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. firm — a company
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — child
  12. chest — a box
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. vault — a safe
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. face — to confront
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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