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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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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: wound · mate · racket · band · vault · mark · pound · stem

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — to come from
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. band — a music group

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