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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. racket — a loud noise

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