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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — in sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. bound — tied together
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. band — a ring
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — certain
  15. band — a music group
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fall — the season
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — of the year

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