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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 · cell · lash · court · land · stem

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. court — of a king
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. court — of law
  13. land — a country
  14. court — for sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — a phone

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