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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — the tool

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