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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. tear — to rip
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — in music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — to come from
  15. clip — to cut
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. band — a ring
  24. deal — to handle

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