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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: pit · patient · row · shower · tear · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — to paddle
  4. vault — a safe
  5. shower — rain
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pit — a hole
  11. row — a line
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. tear — from crying

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