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

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. press — newspapers
  8. object — a thing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — an aim
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. press — to push
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — help
  20. object — to protest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cabinet — ministers

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