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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: drill · march · staff · board · fork · pound · vault · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. staff — a stick
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fork — in a road
  9. march — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. march — the month
  13. board — to get on
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. march — the month
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — a weight
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — employees
  22. board — a committee
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. vault — a safe

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