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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — the season
  24. bulb — for light

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