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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: vault · wind · present · dip · coach · last · stem · file

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — finally
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. file — a line of people
  8. present — a gift
  9. dip — to sink
  10. file — a document
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. last — to go on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — a safe
  16. present — the time now
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. present — there
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — final

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