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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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Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fine — high quality
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — of water
  11. fine — all right
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spring — the season
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hide — to keep secret

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