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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · press · vault · wound · patient · spell · lean · tear

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — a safe
  5. game — a match
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. press — a publisher
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lean — thin
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — to rest against

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