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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: stem · staff · current · wind · content · chest · can · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — happy
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — the amount
  15. chest — a box
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. current — happening now

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