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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: swing · vault · root · wave · clip · bowl · track · rush

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — hurry
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a plant
  6. track — a song
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. swing — in golf
  12. track — a path
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — a video
  18. track — to keep track
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a football final

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