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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 116 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: rock · chip · bark · vault · march · scale · cabinet · stem

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. scale — in music

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