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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: saw · prune · racket · kick · tear · hide · vault · sharp

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kick — in football
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tear — to rip

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