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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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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: mine · march · scale · wave · vault · nail · object · chest

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. object — to protest
  10. scale — size or range
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. march — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — a box
  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