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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. vault — a safe
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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