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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bass · stick · land · cold · fan · vault · stem

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — a country
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stem — of a plant

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