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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 120 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: object · rest · band · stem · dip · present · vault · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. object — a thing
  5. rest — a break
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. season — in sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. vault — a safe
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — an aim
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. object — to protest
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. stem — to come from
  23. band — a ring
  24. rest — what's left

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