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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — in sport
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — to trim
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lean — thin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — the cause
  14. season — of the year
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. vault — a safe
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a friend
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. root — of a word
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. root — of a plant

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