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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: straw · vault · tear · wave · mate · rush · club · bear

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. wave — with your hand
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — to rip
  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