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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 · rule · cold · deal · foot · leaves · band · vault

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rule — government
  13. vault — a safe
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cold — an illness
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. band — a ring
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a music group
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cold — not warm
  24. foot — the bottom

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