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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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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: wave · date · nail · net · vault · land · scale · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — in biology
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — to come down
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. vault — a safe
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. date — the fruit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — after costs
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. scale — in music

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