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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — an aim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cold — not warm
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stem — to come from
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. object — a thing
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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