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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: vault · arm · perch · file · stem · key · net · ground

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. file — a tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a line of people
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. net — in sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. file — a document
  17. key — in music
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — the earth
  23. net — for catching
  24. perch — the fish

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