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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — a stick
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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