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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bore — to drill
  9. game — a match
  10. plane — a tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cue — a signal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cue — a hint
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bore — to tire
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bore — gave birth

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