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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fall — the season
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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