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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: tear · fall · nail · spell · lash · straw · vault · mate

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — letters
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — a friend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — magic
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — to breed

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