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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 · vault · saw · hide · staff · capital

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. saw — the tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — from crying
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tear — to rip
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — employees

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