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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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