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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: vault · bowl · lie · wake · ground · stand · present · wound

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. ground — a position
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stand — to bear
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. ground — crushed
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wake — a trail

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