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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: coach · stem · land · vault · rush · lie · dip · branch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — a country
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — a division
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stem — of a plant

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