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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a line
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. stem — to come from
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. land — ground
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — a country
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — a safe
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. land — to come down

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