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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — of the year
  18. craft — boats
  19. race — a contest
  20. craft — a skill
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stem — to come from
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. craft — a handicraft

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