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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 120 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: nail · lean · tear · dip · sharp · bat · bore · vault

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lean — thin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — to sink

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