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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kid — child
  21. cap — a hat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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