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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. lean — to bend
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. row — a line
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stem — to come from
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lie — an untruth
  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