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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. scale — size or range
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. march — the month
  7. current — happening now
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. current — of water
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — electric
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — the month
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — a weight

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