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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 116 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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468
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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — in football
  7. fall — the season
  8. face — to point toward
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — letters
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — a short time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — to confront
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tear — to rip
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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