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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: lash · vault · craft · net · lean · snap · kid · tear

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lean — thin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. snap — to click
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — in sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — for catching
  21. vault — a safe
  22. net — after costs
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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