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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. spring — of water
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spring — the season
  17. shower — rain
  18. stem — to come from
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — to wash
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stem — a stem cell

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