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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: staff · hand · coach · stem · bark · bore · object · vault

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. object — a thing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bore — to drill
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — to shout
  15. object — to protest
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stem — a stem cell

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