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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 120 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: vault · firm · hide · fan · tear · land · rush · chair

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. firm — decided
  3. land — to come down
  4. tear — to rip
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — steady
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — hurry
  16. firm — a company
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. land — a country
  24. tear — from crying

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