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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: club · lie · present · tear · bulb · vault · wound · deal

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — to recline
  5. club — for dancing
  6. deal — to handle
  7. present — a gift
  8. club — for golf
  9. bulb — for light
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. present — there
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wound — an injury
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. club — a group

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