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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: tear · vault · shower · deal · race · chest · nail · wake

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — to rip
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. wake — a trail
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chest — a box
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tear — from crying

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