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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: ground · wave · fall · pit · wake · drill · vault · bear

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pit — a hole
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — a trail

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