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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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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: wind · vault · face · pop · fall · bear · hand · pitch

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pop — music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. fall — the season
  20. face — to confront
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to point toward

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