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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 · lean · clip · race · vault · rock · wake · net

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. clip — for paper
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — thin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. race — a contest
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rock — music
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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