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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: club · pass · cabinet · stem · temple · court · vault · rest

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. club — for dancing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pass — a permit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — to come from
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. club — a group
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. club — for golf
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rest — a break
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — of law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — for sport
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cabinet — ministers

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