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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · racket · stem · content · mate · vault

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pound — a weight
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. content — the amount

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