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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: chair · mark · lie · net · fall · vault · tear · wax

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mark — a grade
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a leader
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — a professorship

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