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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 120 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: wave · hand · mark · shower · club · vault · bear · face

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — rain
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a grade
  18. club — for golf
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. club — a group
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bear — the animal

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