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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 120 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: firm · file · present · tear · vault · field · straw · ruler

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — a subject
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. file — a tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — steady
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tear — to rip
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — a safe
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. file — a document

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