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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. capital — a city
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — a safe
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. craft — boats
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — a big letter

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