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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · stem · race · vault · field · march · date · mug

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — a list
  4. date — the fruit
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stem — to come from
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. race — a contest
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. vault — a safe
  22. race — humankind
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — music

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