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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: pop · vault · wound · wave · hand · fine · wake · band

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pop — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pop — soda
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fine — all right

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