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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — help
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — in cards
  7. root — of a word
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — a series
  10. race — the arms race
  11. root — the cause
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stem — to come from
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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