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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — the cause
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — certain
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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