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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bore — to drill
  17. object — an aim
  18. stem — to come from
  19. object — a thing
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. object — to protest
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rush — a thrill

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