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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. root — of a word
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. press — a publisher
  7. firm — decided
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. press — newspapers
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. root — the cause
  15. firm — steady
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. firm — a company

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