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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 · bear · toast · stem · snap · staff · kid · current

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bear — the animal
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — child
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — electric
  14. toast — bread
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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