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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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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: lie · bear · vault · wake · hide · swing · cabinet · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bear — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rash — a series
  19. swing — music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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