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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cell — a phone
  5. root — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. drill — army training
  9. cell — in biology
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. vault — a safe
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mark — a grade
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — letters
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a rubber band

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