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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · bore · fall · root · board · leaves · last · vault

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. last — to go on
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in biology
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bore — to drill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cell — a phone
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — to tire
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fall — the season
  24. vault — a safe

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