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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — rain
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. shower — to wash
  15. charge — a price
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stem — of a plant
  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