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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: file · staff · bank · wave · vault · roll · snap · chest

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a line of people
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bank — for money
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chest — a box
  22. file — a tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a document

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