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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: tear · vault · racket · leaves · stock · shower · calf · clip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. clip — to cut
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — to rip
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stock — shares
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — goods
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — to go away

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