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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. drill — army training
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bank — for money
  6. ball — a dance
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. drill — the tool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — from a university
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bank — of a river
  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