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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — a safe
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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