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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cold — an illness
  5. vault — a safe
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pound — a weight
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — magic
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chip — for betting
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spell — letters
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. plane — a tool

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