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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: bear · object · field · spell · lie · kick · vault · snap

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — to protest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to click
  10. object — an aim
  11. spell — letters
  12. object — a thing
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. vault — a safe
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kick — in football
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bear — to put up with

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