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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: band · cold · lie · straw · rest · vault · rush · lean

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. rest — a break
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. band — a ring
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  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