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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. vault — a safe
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. press — newspapers
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. press — a publisher
  8. band — a music group
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. drill — a practice
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stem — to come from
  18. drill — army training
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. board — to get on
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. board — a committee

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