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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: stem · rush · ground · pit · rash · spell · fan · vault

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stem — to come from
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — magic
  16. pit — a hole
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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