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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: roll · pitcher · band · spring · land · pop · vault · stem

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. land — a country
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — soda
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — ground
  12. pop — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a ring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. roll — a list
  21. band — a music group
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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