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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: cold · wave · cap · vault · field · hide · pitcher · board

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. board — to get on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cold — not warm
  16. field — a subject
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cap — a lid
  22. field — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a committee

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