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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: cabinet · firm · vault · hand · tear · can · dip · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hand — help
  5. firm — a company
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. firm — steady
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — a tin
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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