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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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Word bank
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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: tear · kick · tube · stick · wound · vault

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kick — in football
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  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