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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: lean · date · straw · wave · wound · vault · tear · lie

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lean — thin
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lean — to bend
  14. date — the fruit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lie — an untruth

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