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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: cold · can · pitcher · wave · stand · squash · vault · mate

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — not warm
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — the sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mate — a friend
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stand — on your feet

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