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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: tear · band · can · vault · foot · lie · lash · toast

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lie — to recline
  6. vault — a safe
  7. toast — bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. tear — to rip
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. can — a tin
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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