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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: pop · cap · bear · chest · ground · vault · wave · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pop — music
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — a position
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. saw — the tool

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