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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bound — certain
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. present — there
  10. cue — for pool
  11. present — the time now
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. present — a gift
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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