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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spell — a short time
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. kid — to tease
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. vault — a safe
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — the fruit
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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