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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: band · can · snap · vault · spring · board · shower · wound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — rain
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — to get on
  7. spring — of water
  8. vault — a safe
  9. shower — to wash
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. band — a music group
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — a coil
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. can — to be able to

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