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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. date — the fruit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lean — thin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — a permit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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