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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: staff · scale · lean · snap · land · stem · arm · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. staff — a stick
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lean — to bend
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. land — ground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. snap — to click
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lean — thin
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stem — a stem cell

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