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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. vault — a safe
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — to push
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. suit — to fit
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. suit — clothes
  16. tear — to rip
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — a stone

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