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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 · wave · mate · wake · board · band · stick · net

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — for catching
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a ring
  20. board — to get on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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