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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: root · vault · mate · snap · bay · stem · spring · dip

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — a coil
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spring — the season
  15. root — of a word
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stem — to come from
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to click
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — of water

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