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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. firm — steady
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — a company
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — in football
  14. firm — decided
  15. fall — the season
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rash — a series
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — to come from
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — of a plant

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