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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. root — of a plant
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mark — a grade
  12. root — of a word
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — the cause
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — the season
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ball — a dance

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