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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 · season · racket · band · file · deal · vault · temple

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. deal — to handle
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. vault — a safe
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a ring
  16. file — a line of people
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a document
  24. band — a music group

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