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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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