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

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pound — a weight
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. vault — a safe
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a line
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. pitch — a sports field

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