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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: nail · bowl · pass · stem · can · foot · cold · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — a safe
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pass — a permit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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