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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: chest · cap · staff · stem · vault · band

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a music group
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cap — a hat
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chest — of your body

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