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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 120 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: bass · pit · vault · rash · bay · spring · stem · lie

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — the season
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lie — to recline
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rash — a series
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — on the skin

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