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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: bore · stem · wind · kick · saw · vault

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. bore — to tire
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from

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