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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — thin
  5. pass — a permit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bore — to drill
  11. present — the time now
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a word
  17. present — there
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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