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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — of a plant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — of the year
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. lie — to recline
  20. race — humankind
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. season — in sport
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. race — a contest

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