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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mark — a grade
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. vault — a safe
  13. shower — rain
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cold — an illness
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stem — to come from
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a song
  24. nail — on a finger

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