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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: spell · pitcher · vault · wave · drill · chest · rush · last

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — final
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — a box
  14. spell — a short time
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spell — magic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — letters

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