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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fall — to drop
  10. object — to protest
  11. degree — an amount
  12. root — the cause
  13. object — a thing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. degree — temperature
  16. vault — a safe
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. object — an aim
  19. root — of a word
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stem — a stem cell

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