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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: pound · toast · mate · fall · snap · vault · wake · bulb

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to click
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fall — the season
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. toast — bread
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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