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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: club · tear · bear · vault · land · lie · present · fork

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. land — to come down
  3. tear — to rip
  4. present — the time now
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. club — for golf
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — there
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — a group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — a country
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. present — a gift
  24. club — for dancing

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