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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — a video
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — a series
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. date — the fruit
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bore — to drill

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