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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stem — to come from
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — a division
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. game — wild animals
  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