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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. vault — a safe
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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