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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: cold · trunk · wave · leaves · vault · drill · wake · fall

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — a trail
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. vault — a safe
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — the season
  19. cold — an illness
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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