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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tear — from crying

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