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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: ball · stick · vault · mine · stem · net · straw · clip

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — for digging
  4. clip — a video
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. vault — a safe
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ball — a great time
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — for paper
  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