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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: squash · cell · shower · wake · vault · stem · band · file

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — a safe
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — rain
  10. band — a music group
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a ring
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cell — a phone
  20. squash — the sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a document
  24. cell — in biology

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