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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: vault · squash · fork · wave · pass · capital · hand · bore

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. capital — money
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hand — help
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bore — to tire
  23. vault — a safe
  24. capital — a city

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