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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — a container
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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