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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: bore · date · wind · bear · vault · wave · ball · band

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ball — a dance
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bore — to tire
  21. band — a ring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. date — on the calendar

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