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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. capital — a city
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. racket — for tennis

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