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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. firm — decided
  4. rush — hurry
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. march — music

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