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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. current — happening now
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stand — to bear
  9. current — electric
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cell — in biology

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