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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pop — to visit
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pop — soda
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mate — a partner
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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