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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a music group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. root — the cause
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — a group
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. vault — a safe

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