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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — certain
  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