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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wax — to grow
  10. toast — bread
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stem — a stem cell

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