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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: field · vault · wind · shower · dip · chest · bay · pitcher

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. shower — rain
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. dip — to sink
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — a sauce

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