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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: vault · tear · hide · trunk · bowl · rule

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — government

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