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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bark — to shout
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a tool
  22. fine — high quality
  23. file — a document
  24. calf — of the leg

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