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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: wake · mouse · vault · board · swing · tear · fall · game

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — a match
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. swing — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fall — the season
  22. board — a committee
  23. game — wild animals
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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