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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: wave · cell · vault · bowl · straw · kick · field · coach

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — a subject
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kick — in football
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — for sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bowl — a dish

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