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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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Word bank
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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 · drill · stem · toast · rush · chest

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chest — a box
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. vault — a safe
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — bread
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rush — hurry

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