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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. net — for catching
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rush — hurry
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. scale — in music
  21. net — after costs
  22. scale — size or range
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rush — to hurry

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