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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. land — to come down
  9. current — happening now
  10. bass — low music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — a country
  14. last — to go on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. current — electric
  17. land — ground
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — a safe
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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