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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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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: bear · content · rush · bat · vault · press · wave · swing

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — to push
  12. content — happy
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. swing — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — the amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bear — the animal

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