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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 · stem · mouse · straw · staff · face · arm · tube

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. vault — a safe
  4. face — to confront
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tube — the underground
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stem — to come from
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mouse — for a computer

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