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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 120 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: vault · field · stem · spell · rash · saw · bound · tear

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — to rip
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — a subject
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — letters
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — for sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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