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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. press — to push
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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