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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: vault · mate · foot · stem · kid · rest

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. 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. kid — child
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mate — a friend
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rest — a break
  11. stem — to come from
  12. foot — a measure
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. 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