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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. foot — a measure
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — the cause
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. root — of a word
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. root — of a plant
  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