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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — a series
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — to come from
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — belonging to me

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