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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: hide · wound · net · vault · bear · tear · hand · rest

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — for catching
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — a break
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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