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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: craft · coach · cell · stem · vault · spell · lean · snap

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. stem — to come from
  3. craft — boats
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cell — a phone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to click
  18. spell — magic
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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