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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: kid · dip · pop · wake · hide · vault · lie · band

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — child
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. band — a ring
  24. hide — to keep secret

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