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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. degree — an amount
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — a trail
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. key — the most important part

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