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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — a division
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. content — happy
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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