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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stem — to come from
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. court — of law
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — a series
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — a stem cell

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