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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hand — in cards
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. vault — a safe
  17. perch — the fish
  18. plane — a tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — the fruit
  24. plane — an aircraft

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