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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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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 · cell · mine · kid · last · chip · vault · jam

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. last — to go on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stem — to come from
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kid — child
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — for betting

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