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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: date · capital · lean · stem · press · cell · arm · vault

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — a city
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lean — thin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. date — the fruit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. press — newspapers
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cell — a phone

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