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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 120 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: stem · vault · spring · pop · fine · ground · race · lean

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pop — to visit
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — high quality
  7. race — a contest
  8. spring — the season
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pop — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pop — soda
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — a position
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to bend

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