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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: pop · stem · chest · spring · vault · last · drill · jam

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chest — a box
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chest — of your body
  19. last — finally
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — soda
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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