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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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