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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: bore · vault · hand · fall · wave · fork · foot · pitcher

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — the season
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. vault — a safe

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