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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — a country
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. stem — to come from
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — certain
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — in music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  24. scale — size or range

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