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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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Word bank
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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: can · lean · vault · capital · wound · tube · tear · lash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. vault — a safe
  15. capital — money
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. tube — a container
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lean — thin
  24. tube — in a tire

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