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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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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: bay · wake · vault · snap · spell · wave · chest · kick

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spell — magic
  4. snap — to click
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — a safe
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. kick — in football
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — with a leg

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