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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 116 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 · vault · sharp · lie · bear · file · stem · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bear — the animal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — to breed
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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