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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: vault · spell · shower · bulb · calf · chest · pitch · tear

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — completely
  6. shower — rain
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chest — a box
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — letters
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spell — magic

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