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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: chest · cap · staff · stem · vault · band · toast · rush

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. staff — employees
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a music group
  15. cap — of ice
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. toast — bread
  24. cap — a hat

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