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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. capital — a city
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — a tin
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — money
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — a safe
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wind — moving air

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