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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 116 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: ruler · dip · wound · can · tear · patient · vault · hide

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tear — to rip
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. vault — a safe
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — for measuring

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