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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: stem · firm · present · season · kid · net · lash · vault

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. firm — decided
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. present — the time now
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — child
  9. firm — a company
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. net — for catching
  13. vault — a safe
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — to come from
  20. kid — to tease
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. season — to add flavour

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