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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. scale — in music
  4. season — of the year
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. spring — the season
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. vault — a safe
  19. content — happy
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. season — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. scale — size or range

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