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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: wind · vault · mate · row · rush · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — a line
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rush — hurry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — to turn a key
  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