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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: kid · stem · plane · vault · drill · saw · rest · calf

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — the tool
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — a practice
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stem — to come from
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — a break
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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