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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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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 · lash · cabinet · saw · pitch · mug · board · stem

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mug — a face
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. board — to get on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stem — to come from
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mug — to rob
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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