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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: rest · tear · foot · spring · pass · game · wind · vault

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rest — a break
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spring — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — a safe
  14. game — a match
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spring — of water

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