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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. vault — a safe
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bound — certain
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bound — tied together
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lean — thin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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