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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: stick · vault · straw · jam · tear · wind · wound · safe

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tear — from crying
  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