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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for golf
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cold — an illness
  14. club — a group
  15. stem — to come from
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rock — music
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bulb — for light

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