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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — in a road
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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