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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: stem · bass · mark · vault · straw · mate · kick · shower

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mark — a trace
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — to breed

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