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

Word bank: lean · vault · tear · chip · fall · cap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tear — to rip
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — thin
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lean — to bend
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — of ice

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