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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 116 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: rule · vault · snap · cap · band · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — government
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — a safe
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cap — a hat
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a ring
  14. cap — a lid
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rule — a law
  17. tear — from crying
  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