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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: mate · drill · bat · ball · vault · field · rush · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. drill — army training
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — the animal

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