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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: bear · fork · content · vault · kick · stem

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kick — in football
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. content — happy
  6. bear — the animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. content — the amount
  17. bear — the animal
  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