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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 116 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: racket · vault · stem · row · pitcher · tear · mug · plane

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mug — a face
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pitcher — a jug

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