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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: fall · rule · wake · face · vault · tear

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — government
  5. vault — a safe
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tear — to rip
  18. face — to point toward

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