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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. last — final
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. last — to go on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stem — to come from
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — the underground
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — from a university

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