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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — to confront
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. present — a gift
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. face — to point toward
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stem — of a plant

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