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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bark — to shout
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. can — a tin
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chest — a box

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