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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: bound · row · vault · stem · mark · pass · track · mine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — tied together
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a path
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — a line
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — to keep track
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bound — certain
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mark — a grade

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