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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. net — for catching
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rock — music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. clip — a video
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — to come from
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

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