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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — shares
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fall — the season
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. racket — for tennis

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