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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — final
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. present — a gift
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. present — there
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. last — finally
  15. present — the time now
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — to succeed

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