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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stem — to come from
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a great time
  20. staff — employees
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. row — a line
  24. dip — to dunk

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