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

Word bank: rush · hide · vault · wake · tear · chair

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rush — to hurry

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