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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: game · bear · stem · craft · vault · dip · content · file

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. content — happy
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. file — a tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. content — the amount
  11. stem — to come from
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. file — a document
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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