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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. object — to protest
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. land — to come down
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bore — to drill
  15. last — final
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — a country
  19. last — to go on
  20. object — an aim
  21. vault — a safe
  22. object — a thing
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. last — finally

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