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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — for paper
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — a video
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — a stick
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bound — certain
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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