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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: face · kick · shower · bore · rest · wind · vault · field

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. vault — a safe
  11. face — to confront
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rest — a break
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — a subject
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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