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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. object — to protest
  4. lean — thin
  5. object — a thing
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lean — to bend

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