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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. game — a match
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — a safe
  18. game — wild animals
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lean — thin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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