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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 · hand · band · vault · lie · coach · shower · snap

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — rain
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — help
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. coach — a trainer

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