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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stem — to come from
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to click
  9. roll — a list
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. vault — a safe
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. firm — decided
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. firm — a company
  21. shower — to wash
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — rain

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