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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: object · season · vault · mine · stem · pop · mark · dip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. vault — a safe
  9. object — to protest
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. object — an aim
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pop — to visit
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — soda
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stem — a stem cell

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