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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 · lean · fan · rush · prune · vault · saw · spring

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spring — of water
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. saw — the tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rush — hurry
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — a supporter

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