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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: bass · race · cell · stem · kick · vault · court · ruler

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stem — to come from
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. vault — a safe
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — of law
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kick — in football
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — low music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. court — for sport
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — 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