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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — the season
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — to come from
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fine — high quality

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