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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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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. row — to paddle
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. tube — a container
  5. tear — to rip
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. craft — boats
  21. row — a line
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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