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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stem — to come from
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. club — for dancing
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — a safe
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lie — an untruth

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