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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: bark · firm · lean · pitcher · season · vault · suit · stem

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — of the year
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. suit — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. suit — clothes
  13. firm — decided
  14. stem — to come from
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. firm — a company

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