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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: hand · tear · arm · vault · patient · press · race · rush

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. press — a publisher
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — help
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — a safe
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — the arms race
  22. press — to push
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — humankind

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