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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: shower · wave · track · fall · tear · vault · stick · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fall — to drop
  12. track — a path
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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