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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. root — of a word
  5. fall — to drop
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — music

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