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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: wind · vault · saw · rash · object · chest · content · stand

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. object — a thing
  7. vault — a safe
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. object — an aim
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. object — to protest
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chest — of your body

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