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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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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: vault · arm · saw · stem · row · deal · racket · face

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — to come from
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. deal — to handle

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