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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. foot — a measure
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. board — a committee
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. board — to get on
  24. foot — the bottom

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