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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. last — final
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — to go on
  4. vault — a safe
  5. track — a song
  6. root — of a plant
  7. track — a path
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. present — a gift
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mug — to rob
  12. present — there
  13. root — of a word
  14. mug — a face
  15. present — the time now
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. mug — a cup
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — the cause
  22. stem — to come from
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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