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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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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: straw · wave · tear · pop · land · present · vault · pitch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. present — a gift
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pop — soda
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. present — there
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pop — to visit
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. land — to come down
  17. present — the time now
  18. land — a country
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. land — ground
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — from crying

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