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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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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 · snap · wake · straw · staff · suit · march · stem

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — to come from
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — a safe
  20. staff — employees
  21. suit — clothes
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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