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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: vault · stem · chair · chest · leaves · toast · safe · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. toast — bread
  3. chair — a leader
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chest — a box
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — to come from
  12. vault — a safe
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chest — of your body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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