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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 · kid · tear · last · foot · root · rush · lie

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. last — to go on
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. foot — a measure
  14. root — of a word
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — finally
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rush — hurry
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. kid — child
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — the cause
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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