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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. root — of a plant
  3. object — a thing
  4. stem — to come from
  5. root — of a word
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. root — the cause
  14. date — the fruit
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — to protest
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — to paddle

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