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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 116 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: fall · wake · dip · lie · vault · wound · press · rush

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — to push
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — a publisher
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rush — to hurry

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