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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: mine · jam · cap · vault · chair · can · stem · bark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — a lid
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. can — a tin
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — to be able to
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. can — a tin

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