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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: stem · object · degree · rule · chest · vault · pop · file

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chest — a box
  3. pop — music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — to visit
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. file — a document
  12. stem — to come from
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rule — a law
  15. degree — an amount
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. object — an aim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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