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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tear — to rip
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. charge — in control
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — a price
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fork — in a road

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