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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. vault — a safe
  3. club — for dancing
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a city
  7. club — a group
  8. capital — money
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — the season
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. capital — a big letter

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