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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. foot — a measure
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — a city
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. capital — money
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. leaves — of a tree

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