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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: present · rest · stem · content · mine · last · fall · vault

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — finally
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. present — a gift
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. present — the time now
  15. rest — a break
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — final
  18. content — happy
  19. fall — the season
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — there

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