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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cap — a lid
  21. track — a song
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cell — in biology

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