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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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Word bank
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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. object — an aim
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stem — to come from
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — a safe
  20. object — a thing
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. object — to protest
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — the cause

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