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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — an aim
  3. content — happy
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — rain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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