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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: ruler · wound · tear · last · vault · scale · wind · racket

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — from crying
  17. vault — a safe
  18. last — to go on
  19. scale — in music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — size or range

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