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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rule — government
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bank — for money

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