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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: prune · mark · pitch · chest · chair · vault · stem · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitch — completely
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mark — a grade

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